I woke up this morning thinking I had it all figured out and life was good. My favorite NBA team the Dallas Mavericks were in the finals against Miami with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to close it out. Every year for the past 6 years I have tried to predict this would happen, I literally would. Before every season I go through the Mavs schedule and right down win or loss by each game. Then I rank the playoff teams and continue to go through the playoffs and every year I have the Mavs winning it all in hopes that one day it will happen. I guess you can say I am obsessed with this team. The funny thing is that this year I had the Mavs in the finals against Miami and winning it in 6 games. The exact scenario that I predicted before the season started was playing out right before my eyes. The game was coming on at 7:00 pm and I had it set to record with every intention of watching it after a bible study I had at 8:00 pm and ready to jump for joy if the Mavs win. I had my phone turned off so I wouldn’t get updates about the game and even had a friend walk in the house at bible study first to make sure the game wasn’t on. I was thinking I was getting the best of both situations, getting to dive into God’s word and still see the game I have been longing for my whole life. Bible study came and we were going through James. Still at the beginning of the book, we started discussing verse 2, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” everyone started giving their input on what the verse means and how it applies to our lives. I sat there distracted thinking of what I may feel watching the Mavs win when I leave. Would it be joy? Joy is not a feeling we get from circumstances surrounding our lives. It is unchanging and constant. Joy comes from knowing that Jesus Christ has redeemed my life through His blood on the cross and His resurrection from the grave! Knowing that no matter what happens in this life, when trials come across my happiness can fade but my joy can never be taken away. And as I sat there realizing this truth God proclaimed to me, the very game I had waited my whole life for seemed irrelevant. Two areas of my life that I thought had co-existed together “side by side” since I became a Christian suddenly collided. After bible study I turned on my phone and headed home with no intention of watching the game. Text messages flooded in from people talking about the Mavs victory and how my prediction came true. And as I got home on the night that I thought I had it all figured out, the biggest night in the history of the Dallas Mavericks, I realized two areas of my life can’t co-exist “side by side” Only Jesus alone can bring us joy no matter the circumstances around us, and our obsession in life should be to Him alone!
That's a very mature realization that you have come to Nick. I certainly needed to hear this witness today. Whether it's sports, entertainment, friends, our jobs, money, or anything, you are right in recognizing that everything placed next to God cannot coexist with our devotion to Him. Our obsession should be Him alone. We cannot serve two masters. I wonder though, how we can use the things we care about to be a continuous witness to that original obsession. Do the things that spark our interest come from some God-given place within us?
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